Hong Kong -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Six simple words have sent Hello Kitty lovers into a spin .

`` Hello Kitty is not a cat . ''

The apparently shocking revelation was made in an LA Times article published Wednesday about a retrospective of Kitty paraphernalia opening next month at the Japanese American National Museum .

The story started innocently enough before the bombshell was dropped by Christine R. Yano , an anthropologist at the University of Hawaii , who has delved more deeply than most into the Hello Kitty phenomenon .

`` That 's one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show , '' Yano told the LA Times .

`` Hello Kitty is not a cat . She 's a cartoon character . She is a little girl . She is a friend . But she is not a cat . She 's never depicted on all fours . She walks and sits like a two-legged creature . She does have a pet cat of her own , however , and it 's called Charmmy Kitty . ''

Whoa .

The news reached far and wide , including backstage after the Linkin Park gig at the Minnesota State Fair .

`` I just got off stage to find out that Hello Kitty is not a cat . This is worse than finding out Pluto is not a planet , '' tweeted clearly shocked rapper Mike Shinoda .

For those who do n't know , Hello Kitty is an international superstar who was introduced to the world in 1974 by Japanese company Sanrio .

In the last 40 years her button nose has appeared on a dazzling array of merchandise , generating billions of dollars for the company .

Until now , her pointy ears and whiskers gave her legion of fans the distinct impression she was feline .

Wrong .

Summing up the disbelief , @jkltoraay tweeted : `` You can not say hello kitty is not a cat after 40 years no human has whiskers and pointed ears and a little yellow nose . ''

For some , the news raised more questions than it answered .

`` Been tossing and turning for the last few hours trying to figure out how Hello Kitty is n't a cat . How is it possible ? What does it mean ? '' @NotKennyRogers tweeted .

`` Since Hello Kitty is n't a cat , wtf is My Melody ? '' tweeted @mrsunlawyer .

Users raced to update Kitty 's Wikipedia entry , which now reads : `` She bears the appearance of a white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow although she is actually a little girl . ''

Singer Katy Perry stepped in to try to calm the masses : `` IT 'S OKAY HELLO KITTY FANS , KITTY PURRY IS A CAT . ''

At last count it was retweeted more than 13,000 times .

As the Sanrio website clearly states , Hello Kitty is a `` cheerful and happy little girl ... who lives in London with her mama -LRB- Mary White -RRB- , papa -LRB- George White -RRB- , and her twin sister Mimmy . ''

Yes , she 's also British .

For the record , Kitty 's birthday is November 1 , she likes baking and making pancakes , origami and eating apple pie .

Her favorite saying is `` You can never have too many friends . ''

She may have lost a few today .

Meow .

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Hello Kitty is not a cat , anthropologist reveals ahead of retrospective

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Interview in LA Times ricocheted around Internet among shocked fans

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Cat-like character is a British girl who has a twin sister and a pet cat